Monday, October 29, 2012
You’ve got mail... but you don’t have to read it right away
When I was in college in the ’70s I learned transcendental meditation. Everyone was doing it. After all, it
was stressful being 18 years old, far away from home, holding down a part-time
job all while struggling to succeed in a rigorous nursing course.
I practiced my
meditation twice a day for 20 minutes and found it helped to keep me calm and
centered. In those days, mail came once a day and periods of intense study and concentration
might be interrupted once an hour by a ringing phone or a visitor's
knock.
We're living in a different world today. Author Mike Bechtle
describes daily life today "like standing in a hurricane." Cell
phones make us accessible 24/7. Mail comes electronically, sometimes several
times a minute, signaling its arrival with a chime or a ping from our smartphone, laptop, or tablet. Texting, tweeting, and social media — we're
surrounded. "What used to be a gentle breeze has turned into
a Category 5 storm" Bechtle says.
What is the solution aside from going to live in a cave with
no Internet connection? Maybe we had it right in the ’70s. One simple and free solution is to
practice a basic form of meditation every day. Anyone can do it.
• Simply find a quiet, peaceful place and sit on a
comfortable chair or on a carpeted floor, sitting upright with your spine
straight. (If you have young children,
make sure someone is watching them, and if they are older, make sure they do
not interrupt you except in an emergency.)
• Close your eyes and think of a pleasant place. Concentrate on that location and
visualize yourself in that place.
If your mind starts to wander, bring yourself back to that peaceful,
serene location.
• Choose a pleasant, positive word like “onward” or “hopeful”
or even “peaceful.” As you
visualize yourself in that serene place, repeat the word slowly.
• Take deep breaths and exhale completely.
• After about 15 – 20 minutes (or when you hear the sirens
getting closer) open your eyes and resume your day.
LeAnn Thieman, a nurse and motivational speaker, has a
similar suggestion. She advises us: “Four times a day, breathe! For 15 minutes, 3-4
times a day, breathe slow, deep and easy to release stress, tension and
endorphins.”
Practicing one of these stress relief measures will result
in a healthier and happier you.
And everyone deserves that.
When your life has even short periods of balance and calm each day, you
will be in a better place to care for yourself and others.
Alice Facente is a community education nurse for the Backus
Health System. To comment on this column or others, visit the Healthy
Living blog at www.backushospital.org/backus-blogs or e-mail Ms. Facente or any of the Healthy Living columnists at healthyliving@wwbh.org.
Monday, October 22, 2012
Prostate screenings are essential to men's health
Prevention and health screenings are two big buzzwords in
health care today. But, with so
much messaging geared towards awareness, why are so few men taking advantage of
free prostate cancer screenings offered in the community?
I decided to ask around to determine the reasons for the low
turnout. Several men I surveyed
told me they avoid the required digital rectal exam at all costs. They wouldn’t
admit to being fearful, just wanting to avoid it.
I, myself, must admit that in past years a large percentage
of the men who came to our annual prostate screenings were dragged in by their
wives. Another man told me he gets an annual physical from his primary care
provider, and the prostate exam and blood test (Prostatic Specific Antigen or
PSA) are included.
Another said he was under the impression that the prostate
screening tests are “unnecessary.”
I explained that there is indeed a lot of controversy about this
topic. The debate stems from the
fact that in the past too many men were rushed to have biopsies when their PSA
levels were elevated, instead of considering other possible causes of abnormal
readings.
Many physicians and patients are now choosing active
surveillance, an increasingly common recommendation that involves monitoring
the cancer instead of treatment.
But first you must have the PSA blood test to determine a baseline
reading.
The latest guidelines from the American Cancer Society state:
Starting at age 50, men should talk to a doctor about the pros and cons of
testing. If they are African American, or have a father, brother or son who had
prostate cancer before age 65, men should discuss the test with their doctor at
age 45. If men decide to be tested, they should have the PSA blood test with or
without a rectal exam.
When I told the surveyed men that the American Cancer
Society reports one in six men will have prostate cancer in their lifetime,
they were completely unaware of this statistic. Proportionately, more men will be diagnosed with prostate
cancer in their lives than women with breast cancer. Research reveals that one in eight women will receive a
breast cancer diagnosis in their lifetime.
So come on, men!
Don’t wait for a loved one to drag you by the ear. If you haven’t had one in the past
year, make an appointment, they are offered free locally. Please, take good care of yourself.
Alice Facente is a community education nurse for the Backus
Health System. To comment on this column or others, visit the Healthy
Living blog at www.backushospital.org/backus-blogs or e-mail Ms. Facente or any of the Healthy Living columnists at healthyliving@wwbh.org.
Monday, October 15, 2012
Keep your home safe during the holidays, and year-round
The holidays are near, and that means friends and family might be coming to visit. Or, you might have an elderly parent moving in. Or maybe even a new addition to the family.
Whether your visitors are elderly or infants, you want your home to be safe.
Here are five home safety tips, gathered during my many years as a home care nurse:
• Buy or make a good-quality first-aid kit
• Install smoke and CO2 protectors
• If the person is old enough, and especially if elderly, make sure he or she has a cell phone to always keep within reach with important numbers on speed dial
• Keep walkways and stairs clear
... and my personal pet peeve
• Get rid of all scatter rugs. I've always called them "hip-breakers."
Then you can relax and enjoy having Grandma safely involved in the family's everyday life.
Whether your visitors are elderly or infants, you want your home to be safe.
Here are five home safety tips, gathered during my many years as a home care nurse:
• Buy or make a good-quality first-aid kit
• Install smoke and CO2 protectors
• If the person is old enough, and especially if elderly, make sure he or she has a cell phone to always keep within reach with important numbers on speed dial
• Keep walkways and stairs clear
... and my personal pet peeve
• Get rid of all scatter rugs. I've always called them "hip-breakers."
Then you can relax and enjoy having Grandma safely involved in the family's everyday life.
Alice Facente is a community education nurse for the Backus
Health System. To comment on this column or others, visit the Healthy
Living blog at www.backushospital.org/backus-blogs or e-mail Ms. Facente or any of the Healthy Living columnists at healthyliving@wwbh.org.
